Sunday’s loss to Colts a team loss for Texans

It’s a team game and Sunday’s loss to the Colts was a team loss. Sage Rosenfels may have put the “I’ in team, but hey, work with me here.

Based on your e-mail and some of your comments on yesterday’s post, these are burning questions about this week’s game.

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If Matt Schaub were quarterbacking this game, the Texans would not have been in a position to lose since they never would have led. For 55 minutes, Sage showed he is better than Schaub.

I was hearing similar leanings from the Sage Rosenfels Fan Club via e-mail and text messages before the late-game collapse.

People, please stop.

Heck, through 55 minutes, the non-football expert might have concluded Rosenfels is a better quarterback than Peyton Manning.

Did you not see the way Schaub played against the Jaguars? That is the quarterback the Texans believe they have (and I agree), not the guy who had two horrible days to start the season. We may never find out exactly why Schaub got off to such a poor start, but solid play from him is to be expected. People have forgotten how well he played (when he wasn’t dizzy, which wasn’t a lot) last year.

What Schaub did against Jacksonville on the road was more impressive than what Rosenfels did against the Colts – a weaker defense that didn’t play well – at home. Did Rosenfels make any plays that made you say, “Hmm, now that’s what Schaub can’t do?” … I didn’t think so. On the other hand, against Jacksonville, Schaub made several throws that Rosenfels dreams about.

It is quite likely that Schaub would have had the Texans in the same position late in Sunday’s game as they were, and it is quite likely the Texans would not have blown the 17-point lead in the final five minutes. Heck, it had never happened in league history, so what were the odds?

Rosenfels was playing well, but that game certainly shouldn’t be used as evidence that the backup quarterback needs to play.

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Kubiak’s play-calling was the reason the Texans lost. Why run the bootleg there?

Well, the game wasn’t officially in the bag – no game is until you’re taking a knee. Granted, based on the odds, the Texans could have taken a knee on every offensive play and probably still won, but pick up one first down, and the game is definitely over.

So you should try the safest method you have to get the first down, that’s why it was a good call – you only throw it if the guy is wide open and otherwise the QB runs if there is no one near him and goes down easily if the defense reads the play.

I would bet that percentage wise, more running backs fumble in that situation than QBs on rollouts when a first down isn’t absolutely necessary. Run it through your memory banks, quarterbacks don’t often fumble on bootlegs. (Of course, they don’t often go airborne like Greg Louganis either.)

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Jacques Reeves is the reason the Texans lost.

Like most of you, I watch the Texans and find myself regularly mouthing the words: “Hey, turnaround!”

But it is ridiculous for people to try to blame him for the loss because of the touchdown he surrendered (and we use that word loosely) to Reggie Wayne in the final couple of minutes.

That was a tremendous catch-and-throw and there was nothing any cornerback could do in that situation short of committing a pass interference penalty.

Wayne made a spectacular catch; leave it at that. Reeves just happened to be in the highlight.

… Now those other times Reeves is running aimlessly down the field and doesn’t notice when a receiver looks back because the ball is coming is inexcusable, but you’d better get used to it, that’s the way he usually plays. (Sort of like Petey Faggins slapping at a ball carrier instead of tackling him, giving up valuable extra yardage or even scores as he did against the Jaguars on the fake punt last week.)

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Richard Smith’s decision not to blitz on the fourth-and-goal play was the reason the Texans lost.

One play, certainly not a defensive play with a 17-point lead at the goal line didn’t cost the Texans the win.

Of course, one play – one defensive play like any of the three the Colts had against Rosenfels late – could have won them the game.

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This isn’t Pop Warner League, it’s the NFL, it is not the coaching staff’s responsibility to remind a player to hold onto the football before a big play.

Have you ever coached? Then obviously not well. Good coaches know, that just because you think something is obvious doesn’t mean it is obvious. It’s a coach’s job to analyze situations and emphasize what is important.

In other words, it’s their job to nag. Like when you remind your son it’s garbage day or what time his curfew is, as if he doesn’t know.

Why do you think the coaches and managers and infielders hold up fingers indicating the number of outs there are? Why do you think NBA coaches whip out a chalkboard in the final seconds to draw up a play that the team has run 5,000 times in practice?

NFL coaches probably state the obvious to their players more than any other coaches. No need to list all the reasons, but two of the best ones are they have larger rosters and more players involved than any team sport, and they are talking to players who quite possibly have been blasted into next week on a recent play.

Why do you think the quarterback comes to the sideline during a timeout?

In this situation, if you don’t tell him not to get cute, and he gets cute, whose fault is it?

His for getting cute, and yours from not reminding him how stupid it would be to get cute at this juncture.

Gary Kubiak: “We had a nice boot there that (Rosenfels) knew – we talked about it – ‘If you don’t have anything, just run it and we’ll punt it and they’ll be out of time outs and we’ll make them work. … You’ve just got to protect the ball right there and if you have to punt, you’ve got to punt. There was three minutes and whatever was left and they would have had no time outs. You’ve just got to protect the ball there and play defense.”

• • •

Joke of the Day:

Courtesy of your friendly neighborhood Cowboy fan …

Following SUnday;s disaster, “Was FEMA standing at the exits giving every Texan fan a check on the way out?”

36 Responses

Jerome, at least this game was worth watching. We did not get completely manhandled like we did against the Steelers and Titans. I’ll take a game in which we lose that is competitive to the end instead of a loss that is over in the first quarter.

This one was hard to take, there were signs of progress, but the Texans will remain average to below average at least for another year. There are still too many holes on this team, on a day where we had good pressure on the quarterback our DB’s still looked bad.

The good news is that we have 3 weeks straight of teams not going to the playoffs!! Let’s hope we can win at least 2 of those.

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I did a TV show last week and the question about whether the Indy game was a must-win game for the Texans, and I made the exact point you just did: playing good football is the most important thing for this team right now. If they play like they did against Jacksonville and Indianapolis, they will win more than their share of games. Two got away, but they’ll probably steal a couple down the road. You can’t erase those first two games, but the team you saw the last couple of weeks can still win 8 or 9 games, and have a solid season considering the start.

I am ashamed to be a Texans fan. What was an incredible sports weekend was basically blown by these guys. Every team i support won this weekend, minus Baylor which was obviously expected (at least i feel good about the direction of the program though, unlike the Texans). On the bright side we had a great time tailgating, the breeze helped to make it very comfortable, and i loved having the roof open. The gameday itself was great. Sadly, the Texans are destined to be bad until major coaching changes are made in my opinion(and a talent upgrade wouldn’t hurt), but i bet we finish the year strong, get 6 or 7 meaningless wins by season’s end, and then just so Kubiak doesn’t go into last year of contract as a lame duck McNair will extend him. Well you can count me out. And for all of those clamoring for tickets from those of us who are frustrated, i am more than willing to sell my tickets for less than face value. Feel free to email me @ tbvanhorne@att.net and i will give you more info if you want. In short i have 4 tickets/first level on the shady side. Every home game is available at this point. And feel free to send hate mail or whatever else, it is basically my trash/spam email account. Bring on the Rockets, 3 1/2 weeks away!!

Every loss is a “team loss”; they don’t assign “partial wins” to the guys who play well.That said, this loss was on Sage Rosenfels. No one can convince me that the coaches said “yeah, go airborne if you need to make a first down. And please carry the ball ready to throw in one hand when you’re in a very long scramble.”Hey, I can even forgive Sage – eventually – but this loss belongs to him and him alone.

I am ashamed to be a Texans fan. –Posted by: Tommy Tune at October 6, 2008 01:18 PMTT, you’ve never BEEN a Texans fan. Can’t remember seeing a single post on your part praising anything about the Texans.You’re a dead-ender, not a fan.

“And with the #1 pick of the 2009 NFL draft the Houston Texans pick Joe Blow a kicker from the University of Idaho” –Posted by: Los at October 6, 2008 01:22 PMWow, stunning insight!Could you name for me, please, even ONE early-round pick of the Texans that was on the order of picking an obscure kicker?Eagerly awaiting your response.

Jerome, totally agree with you. Hearing all the people that think with Schaub they never would have had the lead is a joke. They were down to Jacksonville what, 3 times and Schaub brought them back, then drove them for the game tying field goal. And, oh yeah, did not commit a turnover! On the road! What happened yesterday was a player trying to make a statement about himself instead of securing a win. The boneheaded play on 3rd and inches at the 2 when he stuck the ball out and almost had it taken from him is a perfect example. Gain 3 inches and you have 4 chances to punch it in from the 1. Sage is capable of making big plays, but if you look at his career, he is careless with the ball. People point to the first Tennessee game last year about how Sage brought them back and if the D got a stop they would have won. They forget that Sage had 4 turnovers in that game, and he didn’t play the whole game! Sage obviously believes he is capable of being a starter, and every time I see him play, I see a guy who is trying to make every play to prove it. A bona-fide starter in the NFL knows that sometimes the best play is not to try to force one. As the events of yesterday show, Sage simply does not know this, and his desire to prove himself better than Schaub cost the Texans an easy win.

J.S., let me preface this by saying, yes this loss is on Sage. Sage loss this game by not making smart plays to protect the ball at the end. The entire team takes the “L” in the “W/L” column, but the cause was Sage.

That said, I don’t see what you see when watching Schaub. When I see Schaub I see a backup QB. When I watch Sage I see a backup QB. The differences are that Sage has a better command of the offense (excluding the last 5 minutes of yesterday’s game), has a better pocket presence, gets rid of the ball faster, and throws more accurate passes. Schaub is younger and has a stronger arm. Neither has played well enough on a consistent basis to be considered a “starting NFL quarterback”.

I like some other fans contend that had Matt been starting the Texans probably wouldn’t have been in the lead to begin with. I’m starting to reach Carr level with Matt to the point that when he opens a drive I’m waiting for a sack or an interception around every corner and a TD is a surprise and not an expected end. Matt has started three games and all but one was a blow out and two losses could be easily written off as poor QB play. Sage put the team in position to win and he collapsed at the end. But had the last five minutes of that game ended in Slaton running out the clock the conversation about Sage would be completely different today.

Sadly, i have always been a fan “fool”. You wouldn’t understand how much each loss hurts me. Im stupid like that. First a fan of the Oilers, and now these Texans. Even worse i’m STILL a fan of them. I am ashamed to be a fan of this team, but i am one. I still love THEM, but that love has not been reciprocated, see the onfield product. I cheered with all i could this past Sunday IN THE STANDS. As I have for every game since this snake-bit franchise began. THEY turned there backsides and basically farted in my general direction for the last 8 minutes of that game. I swear i saw Sage turn around and flip me off, thats how offended i was. For the upteenth time i had to leave the stadium alongside a bunch of visiting team’s fans, watching them frolick through the stairwells and causeways and parking lot like they were auditioning to play Laura Ingalls in the “new” Little House on the Prairie. Your opinion of my fandom is as unfounded as many of your football opinions “fool”, and therefore i will now choose to disregard it. Ask yourself, are YOU excited about the direction of this football team? If you are then you may be a fan, but you are unfortunately blind as well.

Can’t we all agree that neither Schaub or Rosenfel’s are NFL starter caliber QB’s! I haven’t seen the drive or leadership from Schaub and Rosenfel’s makes too many dumb mistakes. Both are quality back-ups, but nothing more.

As for that game. Hind-sight is always 20-20, should’a had a running play with either Green or Slaton to burn the clock. If they didn’t make it so be it. You then punt force Indy to run down the field against a Def that has done pretty good against them that all day. Instead you give away the ball and the games momentum goes from the Texans to the Colts in one down! I don’t think Kubiak is an idiot but I don’t believe he is right for the Texans – he’d probably do well with a team that isn’t full of players used to losing.

Yes, I agree that Rosenfels had a “staggering combo of blunders” at the end of the game. And no, I cannot name another game where a QB has sabotaged his team in the final minutes to the degree Sage did. However, if the Texans defense holds on the 4th and 7, these blunders (very probably) never occur. I realize the Texans were in a prevent defense, as teams with big leads often do (personally, I don’t usually agree with that strategy, but that’s neither here nor there).

And teams often move the ball down the field against prevent defenses. However, the bottom line remains the Texans defense failed to stop the Colts on that drive. I don’t necessarily hold the long drive against the Texans defense (except to a limited extent), but I have a problem with failing to stop a 4th and 7 at the 8 yard line. Just the fact the Colts went for the TD (rather than the FG) indicates the respect (or more exactly lack of same) the Colts have for the Texans’ defense. While I don’t necessarily agree with your opinion (or you with mine) I do respect it. Also, I wanted to thank you for disagreeing with me in a nice fashion. (Another chronicle columist blog gave me what I thought was a somewhat nasty response.)

As a dedicated fan I’m demoralized, I’m tired of “waiting till next year” before mid season. I’ve been patient and I’ve frequently told myself that the bitter losing will only make the winning that much sweeter, that’s what I kept telling myself when I was an Oiler fan too. I’m not quitting, I never will. The winning better be pretty sweet when it happens though, I’ll be waiting.

I have a theory (that’s at its best) about part of the reason for the slow start by the entire team – especially the defense. I’m kinda surprised no Chronicle writer has picked up on it – to my knowledge.

Somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000,000 coaches have said, “You play like you practice!”

How did we practice in preseason? We practiced without really HITTING and TACKLING anyone – 90% of the time!

Admittedly this was done with the best of intentions – reduce the number of injuries in preseason. But did it really work, and if so, at what cost??

For the most part, our guys didn’t actually tackle anyone for weeks, outside of a few mixed-team practices and the few preseason games. Seems they played Pittsburgh EXACTLY like they practiced – they didn’t block hard and they didn’t tackle! In each of the games, they’ve gotten better on defense BUT until this last game, they were still not wrapping up the ball carrier – as they should be do – where? – in practice!!

Well, just my opinion as to what might have helped worsen our slow start.

Mind giving me your judgment on it?

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Here is why a bootleg SHOULD be a pretty safe play.

First, as Darrell Royal said, “The more people touching it (the football) the more chance it will hit the ground!”

Second, it is illegal for a defender to hit a NFL quarterback who slides as Sage has been coached to do! Sage screwed up when he, in his words, “could smell the first down” and did exactly OPPOSITE of what he has been coached to do!

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To those who can’t see the forest for the trees, we are only a quarter-way into the season. Do you jump out a plane without a parachute when it loses 250 feet of its 1,000-foot altitude??

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Excellent point. I was out of the country during training camp, so I can’t speak to that directly, but that is common practice in the NFL. There is very little hitting. Strange, but that’s just the way it is. I doubt that the Texans were extraordinarily light on hitting practices or days in pads. Their players are just not as good as getting ready as others are. … I agree with you that that is a good reason tackling is so pitiful in the NFL, particularly early in the season. It also goes to my theory of why QBs get hurt so often. I say they go about nine months without being touched, then get hit in the head or pounded to the turf, and freak out like Schaub did against the Steelers. RBs don’t get hurt every time they get hit, because they get hit more often and can take it. (But it would be really stupid to hit your QBs in practice just to get them ready for games.)

The Texans will ultimately win one day because of the the ways of nature (The Rays winning the east–are you kidding me?). The Biggest problem with the Texans is not only their play on the field, but it’s their pathetic fans. Their unsophisticated approach is based on nothing more than getting plastered at tailgate parties and basking in the glow of the premature demise of VY. People will continue to fill the coffers of Mr. McNair’s pockets for years to come, while chanting “don’t worry guys, we’ll get ’em next year.” Heck–after another dismal season (I projected 6-10 all along) it will be seven seasons without having played one game of consequence during the month of December. Texans fans need to stop making excuses for this lame organization and put pressure on the ownership and management to make better decisions. Albeit losing occurs in other places (Detroit, Oakland), at least their fans are intelligent enough to speak out against it.

Jerome, you are right on each count! Also, with just a tiny bit of luck, they could be 2 and 2 right now instead of 0-4. They almost won against Jacksonville on the road, and had the game here till 2 fluke plays by Sage gave it away.

They played well the last two games and I thought they would be down after last week. No use talking about Reeves or anyone else, they are playing as well as they can and the Texans aren’t going to get anyone any better this season! This one was on Sage and no one else.

Not that I am trying to justify Sage’s meltdown, but you do ask whether Sage did anything that would make Schaub wish he had……..yes. Two things.

1) 131 yards and a TD to Johnson, which was a critical point last week.

2) Spreading the passing deeper to spread the field to allow the run game to develop better. Something that was totally missing from the Jags game.

BTW, to answer Jerome’s question……yes. If a plane suddenly drops 250 feet from 1000, I’m jumping. Better than going down with it. Planes don’t tend to drop 250 feet for fun. Of course I wouldn’t be dumb enough NOT to have a parachute either. Must be a southern thing.

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The question was did Rosenfels do anything that Schaub couldn’t do? The answer is heck no. The difference in the style of passing had a lot more to do with how Andre played and how the Colts played Andre (compared to how Pittsburgh, Teneessee and Jacksonville did) than having Sage at QB. Sorry.

Maybe it just seemed, there was a LOT more preseason hitting in prior years.

I hope your working trip to China and your vacation were enjoyable!

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Capt Obvious (October 6, 2008 10:11 PM)

First, you don’t get to decide if you have a parachute. It’s my hypothetical question – didn’t you learn anything in university?

Second, I wasn’t aware you had so sever a reading problem! I never said “drop”! I said, “when it loses 250 feet of its 1,000-foot altitude.” Planes do that a lot – especially when LANDING!!! Your arrogance coupled with such astounding ignorance is absolutely comical! *LOL*

I called the Gary K show this afternoon. I asked Gary K this question “How do you grade defensive coordinator Richard Smith’s defensive scheming and half-time adjustments?” Guess what his answer was?? He didn’t answer the question. He gave a generic answer about the defense progressing. Is this guy on crack?? Or is he more worried about putting gel in his flat-top??

Why Richard Smith does not blitz the house more often is a question that GOD may only have the answer to. Richard Smith is going to return his pre-football job of washing cars at Mr. Bubbles next season.

Gary K. is way in over his head. He costs us the Jaguars game by not calling a time-out on that fake punt. Now he costs us this game by not calling three run plays with the RUNNING BACK on that drive where Sage tried acting like Superman. I also asked Gary K. the following question about the Sage Helicopter fumble “Was the play a designed run or a run-pass option?”

Gary K. said “It was a designed run, we wanted Sage to run the ball and only throw it if Owen D. was wide open.”

(Check the podcast out. I was the first caller)

Now my question is when you want to run the ball to waste time why would you run with your QB? A QB is MORE LIKELY to fumble or commit a turnover than a running back. A running back gets paid to run the ball and hold onto the ball. A QB gets paid to throw. Your statistical analysis is bogus because running backs run the ball more ofter so its more likely that the numbers will indicate that RB’s fumble more. But the bottom line is if I proposed this scenario – that for ONE PLAY who would you rather have carrying the ball to avoid a fumble – no one would choose Sage over Slator or Green. Gary K. was trying to be cute. He tried to be cute and it costs us the game. Dont try to justify that Moron play call by Kubiak. It was a bad call – you should have run the ball three times with a RUNNING BACK.

In the NFL to win as a coach you can NOT make the mistakes that Gary has made these past two weeks. He is just not getting the job done. He deserves to be fired by seasons end. In Every job to remain employed you have to produce and make smart choices. If your a grocery sacker you cant give a customer paper bags when he wants plastic bags. If your doctor you cant perform a surgery which leads to excessive blood loss and remain employed. In the NFL you can not make poor decision after poor decision and be employed.

Why Little Bobby McNair does not realize this is beyond my understanding.

Usually i would agree that no one individual loses a game for a team, in a team sport. Sunday’s game was the first time i truly believed that one players ignorance cost the entire team a game. He could have easily went down and slide to avoid the first fumble, and just as easily thrown the ball away the second fumble. I mean put into context after the first fumble (which was just plain stupid) the second fumble is ridiculous. His first thought after running through his normal progression should have been to give a fan with good seats a souvenir. I guarantee that is why they called the boot leg. If someone was open he could make a play, but otherwise he could just launch the ball and throw it away. Instead he held onto the ball for SOOOOO long he got it stripped.

The final interception was the last straw. There were 4 colts in the vicinity, and not one single texans player in a 5 yard radius. Just awful. There is no way you can argue that Sage didn’t lose that game…….

Do you work for the Texans or the Chronicle? Do you just not know anything about football? The Dolphins were the worst team in the NFL last season…how long did it take them to play exciting, respectable football? One off season? How about the Falcons? Aren’t they 3-2? The Texans still have no idea what they’re doin 7 years later.

It’s a good thing they have mindless fellas like you to spin it for them.

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Welcome to Houston. Just got to town? Must have if you think I spin things for the local squad.

But doesn’t it seem like the team plays better for Sage than for schaub? Offense AND defense look like they play harder and with more heart when Sage is in the game (of course last Sunday may break them from that).

And this is a real question because i don’t know: on the final interception, did our receiver fall down, run the wrong route, or was it really that horrible of a throw? i haven’t seen any replays of it to be able to tell.

As far as the fumbles, on the first one Sage was trying to make something happen because he wants to start and he didn’t have the luxury of knowing he’d start next week. On the second, it’s not unusual at all for a QB to have the ball slapped out of his hand from behind. i believe that’s even happened to schaub before.

Just out of curiosity (again, because i don’t know), how many times since last year has schaub built a 17 point lead against a defense of any caliber?

For fool who said,”Could you name for me, please, even ONE early-round pick of the Texans that was on the order of picking an obscure kicker?” How about an obscure defensive end who, unlike the two more obvious choices that were taken after him, has not been to the playoffs or a pro-bowl yet? Maybe this year we can use the first overall pick to take a well-known, dominant place-kick HOLDER.

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It’s your imagination. You’re saying the Texans’ defense played better against the Colts because Sage was on the field than they did against the Jaguars because Schaub was the starter? Come on, use some common sense. … As for your real question, I believe Andre Johnson fell down or was tripped trying to come back for that last pass. Sage threw it where the receiver was supposed to be. … There is absolutely no way to excuse the first fumble – period. Trying to make something happen after the coach told you not to do it, is the worst way to earn a starting spot. For most coaches it would mean you are too stupid to start.

“fool”- that post was put up there becuase its just a flash foward of what we will be hearing come April. Sure they wont pick a kicker but when the bafoonery that has taken place this season and last season and the season before and etc etc back to 2002…..I would not be surprised!

No matter if the Texans lose because of a coach, a Def Coord, a back-up QB or all 22 starters it doesnt matter… losing and making terrible staffing choices are the HIGHLIGHTS of this piss poor ran organization.

That collapse on Sunday just puts an exclimation point and the end of my rant!

Yes, I did learn something in college. I learned hypothetical questions tend to have no relation to the point they are trying to make. If you are trying to compare the Texans last 4 games to a plane landing, then you are delusional. I think you need to go back to university…..that was an analogy you did, not a hypothetical question.

The entire Texans’ team was responsible for the 17 point lead. It was Sage & Sage alone that was responsible for the 2 turnovers & the loss. Argue all you want, but HE costs us the game & every player, coach & fan are well aware of this FACT. Just not willing to face it.

R. Bush, drafted second overall in 2006 as a running back, managed just 12 carries for 29 yards on the ground during the Saints Monday night loss, but caught seven passes for 64 yards. However, he did not score outside of special teams.

Basically, he’s a worse RB than our third-rounder Steve Slaton, longest run 41 yards, had 16 carries for 93 yards including two TDs, and a reception for three yards.

I guess Lazarus cannot help tripping all over himself criticizing Reggie Bush after he scored two Touchdowns and had 269 all purpose yards. Devon Hester must be an average player to Lazarus also. You are on target Rojomark, it is Lazarus that is completely delusional, arrogant, and full of himself and bull. He does these irrational arguments all the time and no one can debate in a logical way with a mind like his. He predicts that the Texans will win 10 out of their next 12 games to end up 10-6 but will not place his money where his mouth is, thus is how firm his convictions lie.